The World We Live In
by TorontoBatFan
Summary: In the 21st Century, Barnabas Collins, the Vampire King of Maine, deals with the ramifications of The Great Revelation when vampires reveal their existence to the world, and ponders the changes that have taken place due to human ingenuity in his lifetime. Makes reference to events and characters in "True Blood".
1. Chapter 1

_Greetings dear readers and fellow _Dark Shadows_ fans._

_Well, it's been a while since I've been able to post a new _Dark Shadows_ fic. I hope everyone finds this worth the wait._

_This has been on the backburner for a while now. I had originally planned it as a one-chapter story. But, I wanted to get something up soon and I found where I ended this chapter felt like a good way to cap it off._

_The events in this story refer to "The Great Revelation" that takes place before the events of the show _True Blood_. I don't count this as a Crossover because none of the _True Blood_ characters appear in it._

_Also, this story -unlike my other _Dark Shadows_ fics thus far, which take place in the months right after the film- takes place in the 21st Century. Barnabas has been living in the modern era for well over thirty-five years by this time. Thus, I figured that his style of speaking would have become less outdated. As well, he'd be up to date on modern technology such as laptops and cell phones. (In a way, he'd be on a more equal footing with the other members of the Collins family since he was around for their introduction the same as they were.)_

_The character "Bubba" comes directly from Charlaine Harris' "Southern Vampire Mysteries" -the series of books that _True Blood_ is based on. For those of you who aren't familiar with them and don't know who Bubba is, I won't spoil the surprise for you._

_I hope everyone likes this. I'll have the second chapter up as soon as possible. _

_The description of the headlines is taken right from the True Blood Wiki._

_And awayyy we go. :-D_

* * *

Barnabas Collins pushed himself back in his plush, leather desk chair and sighed audibly. He brought his pale fingers to his equally pale forehead and rubbed his brow. He was glad just then that his vampire nature precluded him from getting stress induced headaches, for he was sure he'd now have an intensely bad one otherwise.

Giving his eyes a final rub, he turned back to his ornately carved mahogany desk and the laptop computer in front of him. He tried once again to log on the website for CNN. As before, the screen flashed a message to him, essentially telling him that the server had crashed due to too many people attempting to access it. A quick attempt to go to the websites for MSNBCand Huffington Post yielded a similar result. He could not recall a time when that had happened. Of course, he thought, that's not entirely a surprise, given the news of the day.

A chime sounded from his computer. He saw that someone was calling him on Skype. He glanced at the identity of the caller. _Sheriff Julia Hoffman_.

The Vampire King of Maine suppressed a sardonic smile and looked at his wristwatch. It was a call he was expecting. He answered the call and saw the video screen activate.

"Julia. How good to hear from you." Barnabas said calmly into his laptop's microphone. As he might have guessed, Julia looked excited. Her eyes were glaring at him and her dark hair (She'd stopped dying it decades ago and allowed it to return to its natural dark colour. That and not wearing excessive make-up actually resulted in her looking a lot better than when Barnabas first met her in 1972 when she was still the live-in psychiatrist to the Collins family.) appeared to be rather messy. Barnabas deduced she'd turned the news on after waking and had not bothered to tidy up before contacting her King.

"DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?!" Came the reply so loud Barnabas was concerned it could heard throughout Collinwood.

"And a good evening to you too, Julia. In answer to your query, I had been apprised that The Authority was planning to do this. All of the monarchs were. We were simply not told the exact date though."

"And you didn't tell me?" The former psychiatrist turned vampire sheriff retorted.

"Well, as we're having this conversation, I apparently did not." Barnabas retorted aridly. (He wondered when he'd begun using sarcasm in such a manner. He suspected that all these years of living under the same roof as Carolyn had resulted in his niece's mannerisms rubbing off on him.)

"Why not? I'm a sheriff! I should've been informed!"

"Yes Julia. And I would have, but I was specifically told by Nan Flanagan to use discretion in who I told. To be more succinct, I was ordered not to tell you about it."

"Were the other Kings and Queens similarly instructed as to keeping their Sheriffs out of the loop?"

"I am not certain, Julia. But I suspect not." Barnabas replied. He saw Julia's reaction and quickly interjected "I was so instructed for the simple reason that you are the Sheriff of the only district where everybody already knew of us. The Authority was afraid that if their plans were known amongst the vampires in Jerusalem's Lot, word would reach the people in Falmouth and someone there would attempt to contact the media to cash in on it by leaking it in advance or something similar." Julia seemed to calm down upon hearing that.

"Do you really think that would have happened? You well know we've had a peaceful –if not excessively friendly- coexistence with the humans in Falmouth since 1980. Why would anyone try and upset things, especially now?" She asked.

"I personally do not believe anyone would have done such a thing. However, our 'wise' Ms. Flanagan and The Authority felt otherwise. Their instructions on that matter left absolutely nothing to my discretion. The only vampire in all of Maine I was allowed to tell ahead of time was Victoria and I had to argue for even that minor concession based on the fact that she's my wife and -my trump card- that her skills with public relations will be of a help to us in the nights and weeks to come." Barnabas said apologetically. Julia seemed to accept this as she well knew that The Authority would not have tolerated any dissent on this matter. She nodded reluctantly that she understood.

"That being said, how are the denizens of your jurisdiction dealing with the news?" The King of Maine asked his Sheriff.

"They seem to be in shock over it. Don't forgot how…well…insulated a lot of them are. A few weren't even sure what year it is. Many of them haven't left this area since they last walked in the sunlight. I can tell that many of them are experiencing disbelief as well as wondering how it'll affect their own personal lives. It's almost clinical signs of shock, bordering on grief." Julia said, her long ago psychiatric training coming to the surface. "I've offered to talk to all of them if they want to. I think I can allay most of their fears. It's been a very long time, but I do think I remember how to talk to patients." Julia said with a small smile.

"Wonderful." Barnabas nodded. "And how are the good citizens of Falmouth reacting?"

"I haven't been into town there yet, but I've heard about that many of them are laughing at the reactions from around the world. They can't believe that nobody else knew about us before."

"So there's been no trouble then?"

"None. And my supposition is that there will not be trouble; nothing serious, at least."

"Excellent. However, until things have calmed down somewhat, I don't want any of The Lot's vampires going into Falmouth or anywhere else. If anyone has to go in to get supplies of blood, you are to undertake that task yourself." Barnabas directed, in a firm tone that indicated he was not requesting something from his progeny but was the King of Maine giving a direct command to the Sheriff of Area 1. He was well aware that even more than three decades after being turned, many of The Lot's vampires still lacked the –for lack of a better term- "social skills" to handle the more nuanced interactions with humans…especially now that the spotlight had figuratively been cast upon them. It could be much worse, Barnabas thought to himself. He could be one of the vampire monarchs or sheriffs in the southern United States. Then, he might have been charged with keeping the vampire now known as "Bubba" under the radar. Bubba, at one stage in his human life had been the most recognized man in the world, and now had an alarming tendency to evade his handlers and be spotted by humans…resulting in tabloid stories about his old human identity still being alive. Barnabas suppressed a shudder as he imagined what the fallout would be if Bubba got loose anytime in the immediate future and was spotted. (To say nothing of what would happen if someone addressed him by his real name. Bubba's reactions to that were rather unpredictable.) He knew it would not be pretty. And if someone realized just what had happened to Bubba…Well, Barnabas would , much rather be chained up in a coffin again than face The Authority over the fallout of that. He hoped that whichever Sheriff down in the south was saddled with handling Bubba right now kept a close eye on him.

"I understand."

"Wonderful. If you should require any assistance let me know forthwith. Perhaps we can have some of this wondrous new invention shipped to you."

"I will." Julia Hoffman replied. Then, after a pause, she added. "How's everyone at Collinwood taking it?"

"I honestly am not sure. I've been sequestered in my study here since I awoke." The ruler of all of Maine's vampires said. He actually was curious at how his family was reacting to the news. He could hear Victoria talking on her cellular phone, with Nan Flanagan advising on public relations strategies in the coming weeks. (Victoria had proven so adept at resurrecting the reputation of the Collins family that in the late 1970's she had established herself as a public relations consultant for hire. She had a high enough success rate that none of her clients balked at paying her fees or questioned that face-to-face meetings only took place in the evenings.) Aside from that, he was unaware of what the rest of the family was up to at the moment. "At any rate, as I'm sure you can surmise, I have a great deal to do this night Julia. I will be in touch."

"I understand, Barnabas. Goodbye."

"Good evening, Julia." Barnabas said as he ended the call.

Barnabas hit the refresh button for one of the news sites and waited hopefully. This time, his patience was rewarded.

A headline flashed across the top of the webpage in a font that could not have been larger if war had been declared or if astronauts were to have set foot on Mars:

"VAMPIRES ARE REAL!"

The headline proclaimed, with a subheading describing how vampires had gone on television and the internet in a carefully orchestrated, simultaneous broadcast and announced their existence to the human world. Another headline –this one just added- was a press release from the White House. The President of the United States had just verified that this was not some sort of joke or elaborate ruse from a foreign power. The most powerful human being in the world had just admitted to the nation and the planet that vampires were real. (Barnabas idly wondered how that statement would be played out on the political talk shows.)

It had happened. The Authority had gone ahead with their plans to reveal the existence of vampires to the human world at large. The genie was out of the bottle, Barnabas thought as he scrolled down the webpage for any new articles. The only thing certain was that they would never be able to put it back in again.


	2. Chapter 2

_Greetings dear readers._

_Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life has been most busy for me of late. Just to let you all know, that I'm trying to update regularly -for all my stories- but said busy life if taking a bite out of that. So, updates will be happening as best as I can do. Hopefully things will resolve themselves soon. :-)_

_This chapter was a struggle at the start. I found once I started on Barnabas and Victoria's dialogue together it just took off. And the scenes with Carolyn pretty much wrote themselves. _

_Here, I once again make reference to characters and events in _True Blood_, as well as a certain blonde haired, female vampire who is Barnabas' cousin. :-D_

_I hope everyone reviews, as I'd love to see how you think I've done here._

_Happy Halloween everyone! :-)_

_And awayyy we go! :-D_

* * *

Barnabas scanned over the news websites for the twentieth time in about as many minutes. In between, he was composing, at vampire speed, e-mails at a pace that would put the most efficient administrative assistant in the world to shame. The e-mails were both part of his duties as King of Maine (The Authority wished to know how the first hours of The Great Revelation were progressing. He also was sending out a group e-mail to Julia and the other Sheriffs in the state.) and part of his duties as the general manager of Collins Cannery. (Carolyn now ran the Collins family business empire. However, their business interests had grown so vast in the previous decades that Carolyn had found trying to find time to properly manage the cannery somewhat challenging. To assist Barnabas had volunteered to handle the day-to-day operations of their cannery that still operated down in Collinsport (and was the town's leading employer). As his father had first built it, he felt an attachment to it and greatly enjoyed being at the helm of the factory.

As he finished and sent off his last e-mail he pondered again the wonders of the modern world. Of course, e-mails weren't a mystery to him as he'd been witness to their invention and integration into normal life. In many ways, he felt, the world of the 21st Century was as different from the world of 1972 that he'd emerged into, as 1972 had been from the world of 1776 when he'd been entombed.

Barnabas actually wasn't overtly fond of e-mail due to the impersonality of it. However, he could not deny that it was convenient and highly efficient. But, he still preferred a personal touch. To that end, he had gotten into the habit of only using e-mail for his professional correspondence. Any friends or relations that he wished to communicate with on any personal matter, he still wrote out the letters in longhand, using a fountain pen and mailed them off. His nieces and nephews all joked about his love of "snail mail", but he paid them no mind. He made a note to compose such a letter to his cousin Abby –the Vampire Queen for Montana- to ask her how The Great Revelation was panning out in the state that she and Owen, her longtime mate, ruled.

Overall, he felt, he'd adjusted well to the modern world. The first few years, he knew, had been slightly…awkward…to put it mildly. But, once he'd gotten the hang of modern technology and –above all- learning to not act so surprised at such modern wonders, he'd integrated into the modern world quite well.

In a way, the modern world had helped him –and Victoria- to survive and thrive as well as they had. He still recalled his fears that lingered over the actions he'd taken to save her and what it would mean. Luckily, she'd already thought of a way around that…

_1972_

_The Old House was in need of attention. Barnabas thought to himself, but wasn't in nearly as bad a condition as he'd have thought. He spied Elizabeth carrying some old linens to a bedroom._

"_Elizabeth. I must confess I'm surprised at the state of The Old House."_

"_How so?" The family matriarch asked in a tired voice. The stress of the last hours apparent._

"_I'd have thought it would have fallen into a ruin long ago. Collinwood itself was such a shambles, I find it amazing that this dwelling is habitable." Barnabas said, noting that aside from a dire need of cleaning, The Old House was quite functional as a shelter for the now displaced Collins family._

"_My father had it renovated in the late 1920's." Elizabeth explained. "He had it in mind that we could sell it along with a piece of the property it sits on. He had electricity and indoor plumbing installed."_

"_What became of the plan?"_

_Elizabeth sighed sadly. "He had other worries that took over. The stock market crash of 1929 meant that most of the prospective buyers could no longer afford it. Then, the Depression affected the cannery and all his time was spent trying to keep that afloat. Finally, my mother died giving birth to Roger in 1932. That was the end of my father's ambitions. He spent the rest of his life just…existing. Angelique's curse, I guess, claimed another Collins as a victim. His only real initiative from then on was teaching me to run the cannery and head up the family." Elizabeth said as she remembered. "That didn't sit well with Roger. For generations, control of the family finances and business had always been passed through from father to son, not father to daughter."_

"_I daresay, your father was a wise man. He clearly saw the strength that you possess."_

"_Roger didn't agree with that. I don't think he ever forgave our father."_

"_What a shame. He estranged himself from both his father and his own son,"_

"_You had something to do with his decision to leave, didn't you?"_

"_Yes. I told him he either had to amend his ways and become the sort of father to David that the boy deserves or leave for good. I was hoping –for David's sake- he would choose the former…But I'm not terribly surprised he opted for the latter."_

_Elizabeth absorbed this revelation, then slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Yes…I hurts me to say that about my own brother, but I think we're better off now. David is a good boy…."_

"_The best. He is most worthy of being a Collins." Barnabas declared proudly. _

"_And it's up to you and me to make sure he's brought up correctly." Elizabeth said, fixing Barnabas with a warning look. "He looks up to you, you know. I think he respects you more than he ever did Roger."_

"_I will make certain I am worthy of that respect." Barnabas vowed. He looked around the old manor, mentally comparing it to Collinwood…His beloved Collinwood. "Elizabeth, I am so very sorry."_

"_For what?" Elizabeth said, giving Barnabas a puzzled look._

"_For what I have wrought upon this family. All of it: the years of torment by Angelique, the near ruination of our fortunes and family business, and now…Collinwood burned to the ground. Had I know this would happen, I would never have returned to this place upon being released from the ground."_

"_Barnabas…I won't lie and say you did the right thing by Angelique when you were still human. You did act badly towards her. But, that's long in the past. Angelique is dead now. It's our chance to start over again. I know what Collinwood meant to you. It meant the same to me as well. But, it was still only a house. And a house can be rebuilt." Elizabeth said with a steely determination in her eye. Barnabas knew then, even if he'd had never had a chance to compare Elizabeth and Roget, that their father had made the right choice in who the heir to the family fortunes and interests should be. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard was a woman who had steel in her veins. Barnabas felt an upsurge of optimism. Together, the two of them would surely be able to guide the family in recovering from the disaster of the last twenty-four hours._

"_Yes. Yes! We shall endure and prevail as the Collins family has always done. The treasure room would not have been damaged by the fire. We will have more than enough money to rebuild Collinwood."_

"_Oh, we have insurance for that."_

"_Insurance?" Barnabas asked in a puzzled tone. Elizabeth sighed patiently and gave Barnabas a precis on the concept of insurance._

_After she'd finished, Barnabas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, all businesses have these 'insurance' companies acting as sureties for them in case of negligence or disaster?"_

"_Yes"_

"_Would Angel Bay Cannery have insurance?"_

"_Of course." Elizabeth replied._

"_Now, if one were to cause damage to another person's property, the onus would be on the insurance of the person causing the damage to finance the cost of repair or replacement, would it not?"_

"_Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?"_

"_It was Angelique who caused the destruction of Collinwood and the cannery. By moral and –as you've said- legal ethics, it should be her or her insurance company that should finance the rebuilding of both Collinwood and the cannery."_

"_But Angelique is dead. She can't confess that to anyone. And, she used her powers to do it, which nobody would be able to trace."_

_An enigmatic smile crept across the vampire's face. "Leave that to me Elizabeth." He said calmly as he turned and dashed out of The Old House. _

_Three hours later, Barnabas returned. Elizabeth was making herself some tea when he entered. She noted that he was looking most proud of himself and definitely dapper, despite his torn and wrinkled clothing. (His clothes had been torn by falling onto the rocks beneath Widow's Hill and then soaked by the waves. In the excitement, he'd not had a chance to find new clothes.)_

"_Elizabeth, our renaissance has begun." He proclaimed proudly._

"_Whatever do you mean?"_

"_The Angel Bay Board of Directors. All of them were present when Angelique attempted to rebury me and leave me in the crypt. They had to have known what she truly was and all were willing accomplices to her destruction of our cannery."_

"_And what did you do to them…?" Elizabeth asked, fearing another mob from the village._

"_I merely 'persuaded' them that they should go talk to Sheriff Paterson and relieve themselves of this guilt they surely carry. Right now, they're all in the sheriff's office signing a confession that the destruction of Collinwood and the cannery was premeditated arson as part of what I believe is termed corporate sabotage. I believe that within an hour, you'll be contacted by representatives of Angelique's insurance company."_

"_You 'persuaded' them too?" Elizabeth asked raising her eyebrow._

"_I would have but it wasn't at all necessary. I merely used the telephoning machine –and I must confess I find it tremendously convenient- to contact them and inform them of what their clients were confessing to. They were quite aghast at the scope of the crime. I then said that they could contact you and make arrangements to start rebuilding immediately, or have our solicitor contact them with the end result being the same. As I said, I expect you'll be hearing from them within the hour."_

_Elizabeth smiled at Barnabas. "You do have a way of persuading people. I'll make some arrangements with contractors once I hear from them. I think we should start rebuilding as soon as we can clear away the wreckage." Then a thought came to her. "How long did it take to build Collinwood back in your father's day?"_

"_It was a fifteen year effort. Do you think we might get it rebuilt faster now?"_

_Elizabeth had to force herself from laughing. "Barnabas, modern machinery will have it rebuilt in a matter of months."_

_Barnabas smiled with relief. He'd been steeling himself for another fifteen years of living in The Old House. For him, time no longer meant anything…But he suspected the rest of the family wouldn't feel the same way. "Where is everyone else?"_

"_Sleeping. David, Carolyn and Willie went out like lights once the adrenalin wore off. Mrs. Johnson had a glass of sherry and nodded off five minutes after we got in the door. And Vicky…She still hasn't stirred yet. She's up in the attic because it doesn't have any windows. I didn't know where else would be safe for the time being. Is her still being asleep…normal?"_

"_Yes. Her body is adjusting to her new…condition. Elizabeth, I feel I have violated my word in never causing harm to anyone in this household. You offered shelter to me as I am family. You never bargained for a second vampire, and I apologize for that. I assure you, Victoria and I shall depart as soon as is practicable." Barnabas began to say, before Elizabeth interjected._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You surely wouldn't want two vampires living here."_

"_I was willing to accept one. Why not another?" Elizabeth sighed. "Look at us Barnabas. My dead sister-in-law talks to my nephew more regularly than his father ever did. My daughter is…is a werewolf." She said, as she forced herself to say it out loud. "Why wouldn't I let you two stay here? You fit right in. Besides, everyone loves Vicky." Elizabeth said. _

"_Dear Elizabeth…I believe my father would have loved you." Barnabas said, paying her one of the highest compliments he could think of._

_Victoria opened her eyes and sat up on the mattress that lay on the attic floor, looking around disoriented. She could see perfectly in the dark room. She looked at her hands and took note of how pale they were. Then, her head cleared and she recalled what had happened. She recalled the events the night before at Widow's Hill. And, she recalled her other memories…Her life as Josette and the two centuries as a ghost waiting to be reunited with Barnabas and her own reincarnation. And she recalled that Barnabas had saved her life...by inducting her into the ranks of the undead._

"_How are you, my dear?" A voice spoke from the darkness. Victoria didn't jump in surprise as she once would have. The last few days had stripped her of the ability to be surprised by things._

"_I feel…Strange." She said finally. It was the best way to describe it._

"_I am so sorry my love."_

"_For what?"_

"_For passing my curse upon you. I wanted to be cured. To become a human again, so I could be with you. Instead, I consigned you to an eternal living death."_

"_It was my choice, Barnabas. I'd rather have this than growing old while you stay the same…or endless wandering watching the mortal world pass by." Victoria began to say, then stopped. She felt a knowing in her stomach and dryness in her throat. "Barnabas…I'm…I'm hungry."_

_Her lover looked at her sadly. "I know, my love. It's the hunger. It cannot be denied. We must take blood to sate it. I fear I have condemned more innocent people to die from this curse."_

_A thoughtful look crossed the newborn vampire's face. "Barnabas…Do we have to feed upon people?"_

"_I fear we must. The blood of animals does not sate us nearly as long. I have tried that avenue."_

"_But what if the blood doesn't come directly from people?"_

"_Whatever do you mean?"_

"_Blood banks."_

"_Blood banks? Do people of this era put their blood into safes?" Barnabas asked in a puzzled tone._

"_No. Blood banks are where they store blood people have donated. It's kept in fridges and is used for transfusions in hospitals. Didn't you know of this?" Victoria asked rhetorically. Of course, she realized, someone so new to the 20__th__ Century -new enough that he would still be amazed horses are no longer the prime mode of transportation- would likely have no idea that modern medical techniques allowed countless gallons of blood to be stored._

_An almost gleeful smile crossed Barnabas' face. "Where would these 'blood banks' be found?"_

"_Just about any hospital has them." _

"_My love…You wait here. I shall be back." Barnabas said, giving her a quick kiss before turning on his heels and making a beeline for the stairs. "Willie!" He called loudly. "Fetch the horseless carriage. We have to find a hospital!"_

"_Are you sick, Barnabas?" Came the reply from downstairs._

"_No, I am not sick. __I'll explain on the way…" Barnabas yelled as he descended the stairs._

_So, when Victoria emerged from taking a bath that she found went a long way to making her feel normal by washing off the sea water from her body –although she was shocked at not seeing her reflection in the bathroom mirror- she found Barnabas awaiting her with a cooler chest full of IV bottles of blood. Her lover wrenched off the top of one and poured the contents into a pair of large champagne flutes. Barnabas raised the glass to his lips –it had been a long time since he'd taken any liquid that way- and took a tentative sip. His features relaxed then as he felt the hunger pangs dissipate. "I believe, my love, that thanks to you, we have the key to surviving in this era."_

Barnabas' remembering the first days of Victoria's undead life were interrupted by a knock on the doorframe of his study. He looked up from his desk and saw Victoria herself standing there, dressed most casually in a Burberry shirt and designer jeans. (Barnabas himself still hadn't gotten the hang of casual dressing. The most casual he got was wearing khaki's with a button down shirt.) She lithely strode into the darkened study and put her arms around Barnabas' shoulders.

"What're you doing?" She asked, giving him a kiss.

"I am merely trying to see how the Revelation will affect us here."

"I was talking with Nan Flanagan. She said that The Authority is more concerned with how the reaction is in the big cities of North America and parts of Europe."

Barnabas scrolled over the websites. "It appears that here, there's a great deal of agitation but no panic. Down in the south –the Bible Belt- people are flocking to churches and gun stores in equal numbers."

"They DO realize that guns won't work on us, don't they?"

"You would think they would. But, one thing I've learned over the years is to never underestimate the stupidity of some people. For example, Fox News appears to be interviewing Stephanie Meyer for an 'expert opinion'."

"That's wrong on so many levels." Victoria said with a sad shake of her head. "Nan thinks that the majority of people are abysmally stupid."

"Indeed. How are The Authority's attempts at public relations faring?"

"I'm coordinating efforts for them. Nan is going on CNN and MSNBC here to be the public face of the vampire world. We feel that the initial efforts have to be focused on North America –the United States in particular. If we can achieve some legal recognition here, the rest will be fairly simple. Some parts of the world, we always figured, will never accept us." Victoria said sadly. "We've already gotten word of violence in the Middle East directed at vampires. And, of course, people there are forgetting that openly attacking vampires during the night isn't a good idea. Casualties are mounting for both vampires and humans there."

"Yes…" Barnabas sighed. "It's a tragedy, but we need to focus on what happens here first and foremost. I wonder…"

"You wonder what?"

"I wonder what the reaction will be like in Collinsport."

Victoria thought on that for a minute. "I don't think there'll be much surprise."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that most people in Collinsport have guessed the truth –or suspect it, at least."

"How could they have guessed?" Barnabas asked with genuine surprise.

Victoria rolled her eyes –a habit, he knew, that had come from decades of living under the same roof as Carolyn. "How could they not have guessed?" She said with a laugh. "You and I have lived here since 1972 –almost forty years- and we haven't aged a day in that time. We're both pale. We're seldom seen during the day and never outside when it's bright sunshine. As well, we live in a place that everyone in town regards –correctly, albeit- as a haunted house. Carolyn, Amy and David heard whispers all through their school days about us. The children now have been hearing much of the same."

"I suppose you're right." Barnabas said after a short pause. "Do you think they'll welcome us?"

"I don't know. I think they might just continue to act like nothing's out of the ordinary. They've been doing that for years with all of us."

"I hope you're right. I can still recall the mob Angelique raised against me in 1776. I can't stand the thought of that again."

"That was a different time. You haven't attacked anyone in town since 1972. They have no reason to fear you. The town respects the whole family now."

"Thanks to you."

"Oh, it wasn't that much." Victoria said with feigned modesty at her achievements in reviving the family's good name. "It was what you, Carolyn and Elizabeth have done. The cannery provides good jobs to the town –I mean, if the cannery wasn't there, Collinsport would die economically. You sponsor all sorts of civic activities. And if anyone's ever in trouble, they know you're the first person who's always ready to help."

"That's true…And all the children seem to enjoy my doing readings at the library at Halloween." Barnabas said with a contented smile. (An annual tradition in Collinsport was Barnabas reading ghost stories to children at the local public library. He'd offered to read Christmas stories in December as well; but everyone had agreed that Halloween was more up his alley.)

"All the children go home happily shivering at the end of the evening." His wife agreed soothingly.

"You're right, as always, my love." Barnabas sighed. He looked at his wristwatch and saw it was getting into the evening. "Isn't it almost dinner time?" He asked, knowing that usually he would be smelling what the human members of the family would be eating now.

"Everyone's out tonight. I think it's just Carolyn in the house and she'll probably take something out of the freezer or order in some Chinese food."

"Well, then, as we don't have to put in an appearance at the dining table, will you join me for dinner here?" Barnabas asked as he pulled a cooler from beneath his desk and removed a pair of large bottles from it.

"Is that…" Victoria began.

"Yes. This is the invention that was the catalyst for the Revelation. It's been given a patent name: Tru Blood." Barnabas said as he opened the bottles and poured the contents into a set of mugs. He placed them into a small microwave oven he kept in his study for the exact purpose of warming bottles of blood when his work kept him at his desk through mealtimes.

"Nan said it's being marketed like that -under the Tru Blood name- only for the vampire customers. The hospitals that buy it don't really care about a name or any other purposes." Victoria said as she watched the microwave run for the allotted time.

"I can see that. A most wondrous invention. It serves both the human and vampire world." Barnabas said as he removed the mugs and handed one from Victoria. He looked at the large mug of warm red liquid. He'd tasted samples before. It wasn't quite like the real thing…But it was close enough. He wondered what his existence would've been like if such an invention had been available earlier. Would vampires have emerged from the shadows then? They could well have changed the course of world history. He paused before raising the mug to his lips. "'What hath God wrought?'" He murmured almost to himself.

"Pardon?"

"Oh…It's a line from the Book of Numbers. On May 23rd, 1844, when the very first telegraph was set up the first message ever sent in Morse code, on the Baltimore-Washington Telegraph Line, began with that phrase. It was a momentous event when modern technology radically altered the world. And now…another invention has reshaped the world. It seemed fitting to say that." Barnabas said as he raised his mug to his lips and drank

* * *

Carolyn Collins-Haskell (she'd long ago dropped the Stoddard from her name and adopted her maternal family name as her surname prior to her marriage when she'd hyphenated it) stood up from her desk in her own study and stretched. She felt the day had been far less productive than she would've liked. The Great Revelation was playing havoc with everything. Browsers were crashing from overuse. And people she had scheduled conference calls with were glued to their television sets watching events unfold. She could understand where that was coming from on one level. However, she had long operated on the premise that work came first. She hadn't turned Collins Seafood into a multi-faceted –and highly successful- business empire by losing focus.

It would've been so much easier, of course, if she held meetings face to face. However, that just wasn't feasible for her. Corporate CEO's were expected to be mature, experienced professionals. Carolyn was that…Only she didn't look it. She was well into her fifties…But still looked like she was eighteen –if she worked on her makeup and wardrobe she might be able to look twenty…but that was a rarity. She oftentimes wondered what other women her age would say if they knew she was born in the year 1957…and that her looking like a college freshman was a side-effect of her turning into a wolf when the moon was full. She wondered if they would accept that as the cost of delaying aging by centuries. (Quentin Collins had explained to her long ago that their werewolf bloodline was descended from an ancient werewolf named Nicholas Remy. A trait for them was that for every twenty or twenty-five years that passed, they would age perhaps a year. Thus, werewolves like themselves could expect a long, long life and prolonged youth once puberty was reached.) As a result, Carolyn ran the Collins empire from her study in Collinwood.

Carolyn let her senses search through Collinwood. She didn't hear anyone, save from Barnabas and Victoria in his own study. Her mother was off on an Alaskan cruise –since retiring from running the cannery, Elizabeth had done a great deal of travelling. (Carolyn was very happy her mother was able to enjoy herself after so many years of stress and worry in the years before Barnabas arrived.) Her husband Joe was in Augusta handling a case for a client; he wouldn't be home until late. David was seeing one of his patients at Central Maine General Hospital….Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar scent approaching behind her….attempting to be stealthy.

"Nice try, sweetheart. But, it won't work on me." She said with a knowing smile as she turned around.

Facing her was a petite blonde haired girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to Carolyn. She had the same long blonde hair and heard shaped face. The main difference was the eyes. Her eyes were more of an icy blue that she'd inherited from her father. (She'd also inherited her father's mellow demeanour…to everyone's great relief.)

"How'd you know, mom?" Fourteen year old Josie (short for Josette) Collins-Haskell asked her mother dejectedly?

"I'm your mother…I know these things." Carolyn said with an arch to her eyebrow. "Plus, I've had a lot longer to learn to use my senses." Carolyn said as she looked her daughter. She was actually surprised to see her there. As she recalled this was the normal time for soccer practice. And her daughter was indeed dressed in her soccer uniform –aside from having removed her cleats and socks upon coming into the house.

"What happened to practice?"

"It got cancelled." Josie said with a disgusted tone of voice. "Almost everyone was at home watching television or the 'net. Even the coach didn't show up. I had to text her to find out it was called off." She said, looking totally displeased. Carolyn knew her daughter loved sports, and pretty much excelled at them. She found it a great outlet for the energy that came to her with the cycles of the moon. Carolyn more than once wished she had been so outgoing and social at that age.

"What about the boys' team? You could've practiced with them."

"They got cancelled too. And they don't want me playing with them…I show them up too much." Josie said with the same half-smirk Carolyn had perfected as a teenager.

"That's my girl." Carolyn laughed putting an arm around her daughter, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know. I usually always go out with the team after practice for pizza…Except when it's full moon."

"I'm stiff from being cramped up in the study all day. What do you say we go for a swim and then go get some dinner together?"

"That sounds great, mom." Josie said as a smile brightened her face. "Are our swimsuits down in the laundry room?"

"It's just the two of us…Do we need them?"

"Nope" Her daughter giggled. She had an extremely high comfort level when it came to nudity. It was a result of her parents' attitudes…and the fact that for the past two years she regularly went out of the house naked at full moon to undergo the change. In fact, whenever she had friends –either all girls or co-ed- over they often went skinny dipping together either in the pool or at the beach by Widow's Hill.

The two Collins women walked out of the house and strode towards the now functional swimming pool. Carolyn breathed in the sea breeze that wafted in on the early evening breeze as the shadows grew long as the sun sank low in the west, savouring the sensation of the green grass beneath her bare feet.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think people will get used to the idea of vampires being real?"

Carolyn thought on her answer a moment, then responded honestly. "I think they will, in time. A lot of people will see it as the opening of a larger world."

"Were you surprised when you found out what Uncle Barnabas is?"

"Not really…I knew there was something strange about him from his scent. Not to mention how weird he acted back then. But when we all saw him burst into flames in the foyer, I guess I figured why not? I was a werewolf. Why shouldn't there be vampires too?"

"Mom…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think people will ever find out about us?"

"What about us?"

"What we are?"

"You mean that we're the Collins family? Isn't that what you proclaim to the world on Facebook and MySpace?" Carolyn teased, knowing what her daughter was getting at.

"Mom!" Josie sighed in exasperation. "Do you think people will ever find out about werewolves?"

"I don't know sweetheart." Carolyn said as they entered the pool area and began to undress. "I know that the Pack Masters are waiting to see how things go with the vampires first. The vampires have it easier in a way. Films and novels have romanticized the image of the vampire. They look at us…and they still just see giant bipedal wolves -mindless animals that go crazy and can't be controlled."

"I know…But I'm not ashamed of being a werewolf. I'm proud of it." Josie said defiantly as she removed the last of her clothing and undid her hair from the ponytail she'd had for soccer. She'd known from her earliest memories what her heredity was. When the change first took place when she was twelve, she hadn't experienced the panic her mother had. It was something she'd been prepared for and awaited for years.

"I'm glad, Josie. Don't ever be ashamed of what you are. That's my biggest regret from when I was your age. I was ashamed of what I was and I felt I had to hide it from everyone. It just made things harder for me, your grandmother, your Uncle David…everyone." Carolyn said as she removed the last of her own clothing and shook her hair loose. "We have a great gift that should never be looked on in shame."

"Your biggest regret? A bigger regret than the type of clothes you wore back then?" Josie smiled as she referred to the outfits her mother had worn then that screamed "1970's!" in large neon letters.

"Oh that did it!" Carolyn laughed. She had a great nostalgia for the 70's and refused to take criticism of it. "You'll pay for that one."

"You have to catch me first." Josie said as she dived gracefully into the pool. Carolyn followed her daughter in as the two generations of Collinwood werewolves enjoyed a late afternoon swim.

* * *

Barnabas adjusted the angle of his laptop as he read the news over the umpteenth time. The President of the United States was due to make a special address from the Oval Office in the next fifteen minutes. He planned to watch it. According The Huffington Post, conservative religious leaders were already blaming vampires for all that was wrong with society. One such individual, a Reverend Theodore Newland, was already talking of raising a crusade of the righteous against the vampires; a holy war, so to speak. Barnabas made a mental note that The Authority should keep tabs on the man. He reminded Barnabas far too much of Reverend Trask. In fact…

Barnabas' reverie was cut off as he detected a familiar scent and presence. He put down his pen and looked about his private study.

"Sarah." He called out. "Sarah Collins, you will please show yourself…."


End file.
